MASTER OF LAWS (LL.M.) IN LAW FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES & MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.) IN LAW FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
LAW FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (LL.M. & M.A.)
The World Bank estimates that 600 million jobs will be needed by 2030 to absorb the growing global workforce, thereby making MSME development a high priority for many governments around the world.
It has also been found that MSMEs contribute to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Furthermore, many studies have confirmed that micro, small and medium enterprises, (MSMEs) are a primary source of net job creation in many countries and are the driving force of innovation and sustainability in the private sector.
These facts notwithstanding, there is not much focus in training within academia for this regulated area.
This programme is an innovative area intended to build much needed expertise that will be essential to a key aspect of the Ghanaian, West African and African economies which are largely made up of MSMEs, and will be the first of its kind in Ghana.
PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
To help answer the need to facilitate economic growth, the University of Ghana School of Law’s M.A./LL.M. Law for MSMEs programme adopts both top-down and bottom-up approaches to train public and private sector leadership and managerial staff with the objectives to:
1. Equip students with mastery over the legal, regulatory, policy, financial and governance frameworks of MSMEs in a local and global context;
2. Equip students with skills to contribute significantly to MSMEs’ access to goods and services;
3. Build the capacity of students to become stakeholders in the MSMEs ecosystem and thereby contribute to the resilience of MSMEs in Ghana;
4. Equip students with knowledge of regulatory frameworks that enable and incentivise the greening of MSMEs while ensuring that environmental standards are appropriate and enforced;
5. Increase knowledge and improve research in micro, small and medium enterprises for purposes of policy formulation and regulation; and
6. Challenge students for creative thinking on legal and non-legal (ethical, social, cultural, economic) approaches to the regulation of MSMEs.
COURSE DURATION
One (1) Academic Year
Venue: University of Ghana – Accra City Campus, Adabraka.
Format: Hybrid (in-person and online lectures)
Time: Mondays – Thursdays: 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Fridays 3:00pm – 8:00pm
Fees:
- GHS 22,355.00 (Ghanaians)
- USD 9,178.00 (Non-Ghanaians)
- GHS 2,445.00 (Admission Processing Fees)
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
• First degree from a recognized university.
• Shortlisting / Interview.
• M.A. – proven interest, exposure or experience in MSMEs (prior knowledge in law not required).
• LL.M. – degree in law (prior knowledge in MSMEs not required).
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE:
The two-semester programme comprises lectures, seminars, field visits, job fairs and dissertation. There are core, required and elective courses. Continuous assessment shall be the main mode of examination. Students are therefore expected to actively participate in topical seminars and make innovative contributions on legal and non-legal approaches to policy and regulation of technologies within their own contexts. Research works leading to dissertations and papers are expected to be selected according to student interests and of practical benefit to student-chosen institutions. Industry practitioners shall facilitate seminars and job fairs to increase student exposure to the job market and industry needs.
PROGRAMME CONTENT
The M.A./LL.M. Law for MSMEs programme includes the following courses:
Business Forms – Forms of business organizations, Sole Proprietorships, the Incorporated Private Partnership, the Incorporated Company, the External Company, separate legal personality, Limited liability and Veil Piercing, restructuring, rescue and insolvency of companies, winding up.
Corporate Governance of Small Businesses- Introduction to Corporate Governance, Small Business Promoters and their Duties, Types of Directors, The Duties of Directors, Legal responses to bad director behaviour, Practical Approaches to small business governance, Corporate reporting to regulators.
Traditional and Non - Conventional Forms of Raising Capital for Small Businesses - Traditional and non-conventional modes of raising capital, (Susu, Family Loans, Remittances, Peer-to-Peer, Crowd Funding, etc.), Mix of financing options available to small businesses, Choice of capital; Consequences of choice of financing mix, Growing Capital for small business, Company capital, Legal Regulation of Business Capital, Tax and Dividends of Small Businesses, etc.
Start-ups and setting up in Ghana - Opportunity Identification and Team Creation, Start-up Branding, Start-up Marketing, Forecasting and Startup Strategy, Basic Financial Modeling and Segmentation, Setting up in Ghana, (Business registration), Intellectual Property.
Strategies for the Development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises – Business environment of family-owned small business, a Framework for the Strategy Tool, Purpose of MSME Development Strategy. Strategic Approaches to MSME Development, Strategies to Improve the Functions of the Public Sector in Relation to MSMEs, Strategies to Improve the Ability of Businesses to Operate Profitably, Implementing Strategy, How a Functioning Market System Works.
MSME Policy – Analyzing the business environment, MSME policies and the decent work agenda, Monitoring of MSME Policy and Results, the Governance of MSME Policies, developing Government Policies for MSME Development, FDI Promotion Strategies and Enabling Private Sector growth, Case studies.
Legal Issues in MSME Finance - Financial Regulation, Legal and administrative compliance in MSME finance, Due diligence in MSME finance, Capital and Liquidity Requirements, Hedge Funds, Securitization, Jurisdiction, sovereign immunity, enforceability
Labour Law - Formation of Employment Contract, Rights and Obligations of Employees and Employers, Unfair Dismissal, Dismissal on Grounds of Misconduct or Incapacity among others, Unfair Labour Practices, Vicarious Liability in Labour Law, Restrictive Covenants / Restraint of Trade, Retrenchment and Transfer of Employment Contracts, Workmen’s Compensation, Pensions, Nature of organizational disputes, Mediation and the National Labour Commission, ADR in the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651)
Taxation of Small Businesses – An Introduction to the Tax Policy and Taxes in Ghana, The Legal Regulatory Framework of Taxation in Ghana, Forms of Taxation, Income Taxation, Introductory Tax Planning for small businesses, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance.
Management Skills for Small Businesses – Introduction to Management, Management practices of small businesses in Ghana, Problems of small businesses, Responses of small businesses to the problems of small businesses, Risk management, Technology and small business management.
Competition Law and Regulated Industries - Brief history of competition policy; Objectives of competition law and policy; Competition law and public procurement – methods of public procurement – bid rigging, collusive bidding and cartelization; Competition law and environmental policy – impact of environmental policy on competition; Evolution of Ghanaian competition law; Emerging International Competition Law –Role of sectoral regulators in competition issues; Competition Law and other Government Policies; Case studies: competition law, criminal law and civil liability.
Research Methods - Research in Law, Data Collection, Effective proposal writing, Planning your research, Ethical issues in research, etc.
Contact Details:
Website: https://law.ug.edu.gh
Email: lawschool@ug.edu.gh
Phone Numbers: +233 (0) 30 396 3750 / +233 (0) 30 395 8555